>Cozy Mystery Challenge # 1 I had three good reasons to choose this one as the first in my cozy mystery challenge: it is a real classic, it takes place in a vicarage, and a vicar´s wife plays an important role in it. (See my own vicarage below the review).

As a rule, vicars in British crime fiction are unworldly and impractical, or naïve and boring. But reverend Clement is quite appealing in his total adoration of his unsuitably beautiful young Griselda.

The church warden, tiresome and choleric Colonel Protheroe, is killed when he is going to reveal something to the vicar. A narrow circle of suspects are all gathered in a handful of houses around the vicarage in St Mary Mead.

We are introduced to Mrs Marple through the eyes of Griselda. The kind vicar likes her for her sense of humour, but his wife is more skeptical: “She is the worst cat in the village… And she always knows every single thing that happens – and draws the worst inferences from it.”

The characters are sketched by quick strokes of the pen, and some of the typical ´roles´ in this – as in many other Christie novels – are the gruff ex officer, the spinster, the vamp, the untidy young girl, the naïve or flighty maids, the mysterious newcomer etc.

And of course there is Miss Marple, spinster and private eye by virtue of her observant, or should we say curious, nature. She often works in her front garden with its perfect view of the doings of the villagers, equipped with her binoculars ´for bird watching´. In this first Marple novel she is efficient and perspicacious, but does not appear as sympathetic as in later books.

The police are mainly represented by Inspector Slack, the supercilious type who draws his own hasty conclusions and invariably fails to listen to others. But when everything seems hopeless, Miss Marple takes charge. Fear not, justice will prevail.

>Lilly, I think a person might live very well without ever meeting Hercule Poirot. Not certain with regard to Miss Marple, though😉 They ARE cozy. Kerrie, thank you. I think our vicarage is from the 1920s, but I am not certain. Many of them are much older. Martin, that was early🙂 I was somewhat older, but I was introduced to Ms Christie because I went to the library together with a friend who borrowed some of them for her mother. I must have been 12-15??? I really don´t recall. Beth, she is so much more human than Poirot. I think he is a bit of a ´stiff´😉

>I didn’t realize this was the first Christie book to feature Miss Marple. It’s funny to think of her as unsympathetic but I can see it how she might have started out that way. Often Christie describes Miss Marple as tall and angular, but my mind’s eye usually sees her as kind of fluffy and pink and white.

>Hi Ms Bookish. I think it is because we see her through Griselda´s eyes (mrs Clement). She is too young to have much patience with elderly busybodies. Her attitude changes through the book, but I don´t think Christie had quite made up her mind what kind of person Miss Marple should be. If I had time right now, it could be fun to write some posts about Miss Marple´s development🙂

>Just saw this listed on the AC Blog Carnival and had to come check it out. Excellent review. I am a fan of Miss Marple. I like that you include a picture of your vicarage. My mind could only visualize an American parsonage. This is much better.

>Margot, thank you so much. The vicarage was the reason why I chose to review this one as an example of a ´cozy mystery´ so I am glad you appreciate our Danish vicarage. It is a wonderful place during the summer months, but can be a bit troublesome in the winter.